Free Republic

NEW YORK: As a girl, she vowed that she would marry an American footballer, but she has ended up helping to run the country instead. Now there is speculation that Condoleezza Rice may fulfil both ambitions after she invited a handsome sportsman not once but twice to the White House as her date. The gossip began when Gene Washington, a former player with the San Francisco 49ers, turned up at a formal dinner for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines just over a week ago. Noticeably, Rice, the US national security adviser, had also invited him to dine with the...

Has love found Condoleezza Rice? Washington is wondering whether National Football League official Gene Washington may have cracked the code to the national security adviser's heart. Washington, a four-time all-pro wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, seems to have become Rice's regular date at state dinners. On Monday, he escorted her to the White House fete for Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Back in July, she was on Washington's arm at a dinner for Poland President Aleksander Kwasniewski.Rice, 48, and Washington, 56, got to know each other at his alma mater, Stanford University, where she served as provost and he...